Home Theater sales, calibration, & service

We sell CRT projectors and
other
home theater
products & accessories, including
calibration tools for all
display types. We also offer hundreds of
free home theater tips,
as well as a discussion forum. Why
CRT? With true blacks, real contrast ratios beyond 40,000:1, and colours that do
not drift, people still choose CRT projectors for home theaters and movie mixing
studios where HDTV and Blu-ray playback quality is paramount. Carefully
refurbished and tested, our projectors will provide you with thousands of
problem free hours of service. Since 1985 we have worked on over 5000 projectors
and stock lots of spare parts. We offer trade-ins and can advise on what's best
for you.

Automatic calibration allows anyone with little or no training to fully
calibrate their display with almost no user input.
It adjusts the display's grayscale, gamma, and colours to levels of accuracy that
are simply not achievable by manual methods.
Just setup a few simple options in ChromaPure
software, click "Auto-Calibrate", and then go have a cup of coffee while the
process completes, usually in a few minutes.
There is no need for the user to understand how calibration works.
Suitable for all display types.

Why use automatic calibration?

Previously, calibration required the user to adjust their display manually while ChromaPure software read the results using a meter. The
user would loop through displaying test patterns, reading the results, and
making adjustments, until the results were as close to accurate as
possible. These calibration steps are outlined in our
free step by step
guide.

Manual calibration has many drawbacks:

Requires the user to have access to typically hidden (service menu) controls in the display.

Displays often have limited adjustments that do not work
correctly, or are cryptic.

Displays often have only 1 gamma adjustment, if any at all (compared to
up to 21 points with
auto-cal).

Displays often only have only 2 greyscale adjustments, if any at all (compared to
up to 21 points
with auto-cal).

Manual calibration of colour (gamut) is typically only done at 6 points,
if the adjustments are even available
(compared to up to 4913 points with auto-cal).

Time consuming. Manual calibration requires the user to interpret the
meter readings and make the necessary changes in the display. Our free step by
step guideis a step in the right direction, but the process is
still manually driven and can take hours, especially for someone new to the process.

All of these can result in a less than perfect calibration. Only automatic
calibration, done outside of the display, can compensate for these issues.

How does automatic calibration work?

Automatic calibration is an optional add-on to ChromaPure software, and it works in
conjunction with a Lumagen Radiance external video processor. The
processor acts as both a test pattern signal generator and calibration device. ChromaPure tells the video processor to display test patterns, measures the
results with a meter, and then tells the video processor how to adjust the
signal to compensate for display errors. This cycle repeats (often for thousands
of test points) until the measured results are as close to perfect as possible.

Once completed, the video processor stays in the signal chain permanently,
constantly adjusting the signal in real time to keep the display perfectly
calibrated. ChromaPure evens generate a before and after
calibration report for you.

Why does the number of calibration points matter?

When using a Radiance
video processor, calibration of up to 4913 colour points can be done achieving unparalleled colour
accuracy. Instead of manually colour calibrating to only the 6 primary/secondary colours that make up
the boundary of all known colours (called the gamut), we can calibrate throughout the
entire colour space by measuring and correcting up to 4913 colours. Only
calibrating at the boundaries (as is done with manual calibration) can still
leave many inaccuracies (see
real life example).

This revolutionary
level of calibration accuracy has only been made possible by recent advancements in
processing power found in the Radiance
family of video processors. Manual calibration at thousands of points is simply not possible because
displays do not have look up tables (LUTs) in which to store the correction
information. Even if they did, manually calibrating to thousands of points would
quite literally take the user weeks to perform.

The Radiance Pro is regarded as the world's best
video processor/scaler, with advanced Greyscale &
Gamma correction, and a powerful Colour Management
System (CMS). A requirement if absolute picture
perfection is to be achieved. All units support 4K
UltraHD, HDR, optional 18Ghz inputs, and HDMI 2.0 /
HDCP 2.2.

US/Canada shipping with tracking and insurance is
included in all our Radiance orders. International
shipping available too with a surcharge at checkout.
We ship worldwide.

The Murideo SIX-G is for the AV integration market to confirm HDMI 2.0(a) and
HDCP 2.2 operation at the 18 GBPS level. Additionally, the SIX-G is an excellent
troubleshooting tool for distributed HDMI systems and a reference source for
video calibration and is now supported by
ChromaPure Professional.

One of the biggest challenges for integrators today is determining what
infrastructure to put in the systems they design and further verifying that all
of the components will work together. Over the past few years UHD TVs have been
a mix of HDCP 2.2 and 1.4 – even to the point of varying by port.

The SIX-G takes out the guess work and provides absolute information about
HDMI components that will work and IDs ones that won’t work – all in a
hand-held, affordable, portable field tool.

The SIX-G is designed to be extremely accessible shipping with free control
software, plus front panel controls that allow access to 99% of the features.

The SIX-G carries a complete suite of ISF test patterns, selectable color
output level, RGB Triplets and Constant APL (Average Picture Level) all in one
place, making it a calibrators dream.

The new 424X series uses the same FPGA
(processor) as existing Radiance Pro models, and has
all of the video processing features of the 444X
models minus PiP/PoP support.

By keeping the input count to a maximum of four
and the output count to a maximum of two, the 424X
models allow for some cost reduction compared to the
444X models. The
Radiance Pro 4240 is perfect for systems
that use a matrix switch for input selection, or
switch sources using an AVR. The
Radiance Pro 4242 works well as the source
switcher for smaller systems.

The 424x models use the same
dual-input/dual-output daughter card I/O modules as
the 444X models and so currently support 9 GHz I/O.
Radiance Pro 424X hardware is at production status,
and software is in Beta.

In addition to end to end 4K FullHD processing,
some other notable features include:

The new HDMI 2.0 chips are from Silicon Image and have an internal
microprocessor with reprogrammable flash memory. This will allow Lumagen to
provide updates when Silicon Image provides a new release and should help to
eliminate compatibility issues. Some back story: Before with HDMI 1.X chips
each company had to implement much of the HDMI protocols on its own. Often
the HDMI specification, or the HDMI chip specifications, left a lot to the
imagination. This meant each company had to make independent decisions on
how to do their implementation based on incomplete specifications. Now with
the internal processor being programmed by the chip manufacturer, and its
processor doing virtually all the HDMI compatibility work, issues should be
dramatically reduced. Even more so for the Radiance Pro when connected to
other products that use the new Silicon Image HDMI 2.0 chips, which many
will.

The inputs are on "dual input" daughter cards and the outputs are on
"dual output" daughter cards. This allows upgrades to be offered when new
HDMI technology becomes available. It also allows replacing a single
input/output card if there is a surge event that takes out an input/output,
rather than the entire unit.

The
Radiance Pro can have up to eight inputs,
and four "processed" outputs. Just as the previous Radiance units have two
outputs that can output audio and/or video from the same source, these four
outputs also output the same processed video and/or audio stream. Having
four outputs allows for a projector, a TV, a Receiver/Audio-processor, and a
spare.

There can be up to six additional zones of switched (only) outputs on
some models. These are independent and give the
Radiance Pro up to seven independent zones.
This is useful for installers as it avoids the need for a separate matrix
switch. An example would be a home with 7 TVs where only 2 will ever be in
use at once. Only 2 sets of source devices is therefore required (not 7)
which lowers the cost. The Radiance Pro is then used to direct these sources
to whichever TVs are in use.

The
Radiance Pro features much faster switching
than previous models as there is no GF9450 deinterlacing chip to have to
setup and wait for.

A bit of trivia: The powerful FPGA chip used in
the
Radiance Pro costs more than all of the
parts in the Radiance 2020 combined. This and other
aspects of the Radiance Pro architecture mean it
sits well above the previously top of the line
Radiance 2144 in terms of processing power and
flexibility for future upgrades.

Support for displays that light with Quantum
Dot technology is now being added to all new
Display 3 PRO orders. Calibrate your newest
display with increased accuracy!

Quantum dots are different than white LED phosphors
used in typical LED backlit displays and emit in much narrower bandwidths.
This allows for a wider colour gamut when the
emission peaks are well-aligned with the RGB filters
employed in the LCD display. Quantum dots can
therefore increase the colour space of LCD panels
from today's relatively narrow
Rec. 709 colour space used in HD content, to
close to 100% of the
DCI colour space used in movie theatres. The
caveat of course is that a new display standard
(possibly
Rec. 2020) has to be defined and implemented
in the source content before this extended colour
range can be properly used. This is something we may
see in the future. (More information)

Quantum Dot correction may also be added to
existing Display 3 PRO meters,
but the meter needs to be
recalibrated. The corrections we offer address not
only the differences in display technology but also
meter-to-meter variation, which is very real. When
we add a new correction mode, the user needs three
things to take advantage of it: A new
ChromaPure licence which we provide (the
older licence won't recognize the new mode), the
latest build of
ChromaPure software, and a new meter
calibration. We have to measure the new display
technology using your meter to apply a valid
correction. The normal fee for a full meter
recalibration is $175. However, for existing
customers who just want the new Quantum Dot correction mode and
are not interested in a full recalibration, the cost
is $50. Email us at ChromaPure@CurtPalme.com if
interested.

There are two colour analyzers that professionals and dedicated enthusiasts
generally seek: A professional quality colorimeter for every day work (the
"field" meter) and a reference spectroradiometer to keep the colorimeter
accurate (the "reference" meter).

Unfortunately, such spectroradiometers are not cheap. The Photo Research and Minolta
reference spectros start at about $15,000 USD and go up to near $30,000 USD.

Now there is a new entry to the reference
spectroradiometer on the market, the CR-250.

In our testing of the CR-250 we have found that it
performs as well or better than the JETI
spectros, the only other sub-$10,000
spectros on the market. It does this at the low
price point of $6990.

The CR-250 has all of the accuracy expected of a
reference device and is fast enough with enough
low-end sensitivity that it can be used as a
stanalone color analyzer, though most will probably
use it to correct a colorimeter such as the CR-100. Its
speed, low-light sensitivity, and repeatability are
world-class.

The CR-250 is one of the most affordable reference
spectroradiometers available. Just mount on a tripod
facing towards the source, connect to ChromaPure
Professional, and then use as you would any
other color analyzer.

For some time we have been looking for a simple,
inexpensive product that would enhance the user's
ability to precisely place a
Display 3 PRO (or other meter) that has been
mounted to a tripod. The new ChromaPure Tripod
Extension fits the bill exactly.

It is very common to have a flat panel installed
in a location that is recessed from available floor
space, which prevents one from placing a tripod
mounted
Display 3 PRO at a proper distance from the
screen. The ChromaPure Tripod extension makes this
very simple now. The extension arm is very light
weight, yet sturdy and it extends the meter forward
from the base of the tripod.

If you have a ceiling mounted front projector
there may be times where you want to read directly
from the lens. This has always been difficult with
ceiling mounts because tripods are generally not
tall enough to provide the necessary height. The
ChromaPure Tripod Extension solves this problem.

Two versions are available: A standard version
that can hold meters up to 1 lb in weight at an
extension of up to 3.5 feet (perfect for a
Display 3 PRO or other small meter), and a
heavy duty version for meters up to 2 lbs in weight
at an extension of up to 4 feet.

Many here probably don't read the forum often,
but I've started putting together my own home
theater again after 7... yes... 7 years of being
idle. I've decided to go all out this time, and to
clone
Cliff's setup in Chicago. His features a 10'
wide screen and dual Sony G90 projectors for 2400
lumens of light output and a near infinite contrast
ratio. I first saw Cliff's setup in 2007, and it is
amazing. I've been back several times since, and
each time Cliff has improved his system a bit.

Well, not to be outdone, I've put
two
Barco 909 projectors on my own ceiling, to
see how close I could come to Cliff's setup. While
the system will be one of those 'it's never
finished' projects, my room is a far cry from
Cliff's at this point. I have a
thread going on in my forum showing my (slow)
build. Note that the forum is more or less
un-moderated, and that thread has gone in several
directions, but the progress is being shown. I work
on the room in-between working on everyone else's
projectors, so the work is slow. I do plan on doing
more over the upcoming holidays, as my acoustic
transparent screen is here, as are the
Moome HDMI cards for the Barco 909.

Even with the little work that has been done on
the theater, and there is a bit of a drifting issue
between the two projectors, the picture shows
massive potential. Frankly, since having watched
my stack for about 20 hours so far, there's simply
no going back to a smaller screen or a single
projector. A two projector setup does need regular
tweaking, but the end result is amazing.

Over the summer I purchased a lot of projectors,
and as a result I (again) have over 100 CRT
projectors in stock, including over 40 9" projectors
of all makes and models. With more coming in within
a month, it is time to dramatically drop the prices
on some sets until the end of December, as I simply
am running out of room.

In no particular order, here's a
'priced-slashed-inventory-reduction-we-won't-be-undersold'
type pricing on some projectors. (hint: try a
stack!) For those looking to upgrade, here's a great
way to do so:

(Qty: 3)
NEC XG
sets:
Either little or no tube wear. XG 75, XG 110 and
one XG110LC: $500 each. A great upgrade for
those that still have NEC PG sets, which are now
becoming unreliable due to bad capacitors. I see
no such failure on NEC XG series.

(Qty: 3)Sony G90: Top of the line CRT
projectors. All have been fully tested, and come
with a new Dallas chip installed along with a
factory remote. Ceiling brackets available.
Razor sharp, very reliable. Breakdown as
follows:

1800 hours, original tubes,
very faint 16:9 wear. $1800

231 original hours. No
wear. Remote and manuals included. $2800

All new LCP tubes, had
about 6K hours on the chassis. Good as new.
$2300

(Qty: 2)
Runco
1100:The Runco 1100 is the same as the
Barco Data 1209s. 9" LUG tubes and GT 17
lenses come with these Runcos. Fully tested and test
run, the cases do need some touchup work done, as
both have scratches on them. The cases are intact
however. Original shipping box for one of them as
well. Very light 16:9 wear, red and green (dark) C
elements. Will run 1080p, but you need a scaler
between the source and projector to adjust for image
wraparound. Anything under 1080p and you don't need
a scaler. $900 each

(Qty: Many)
Electrohome Marquee
9500 Ultra: I recently purchased a bunch
of very late model Marquee 9500 Ultra chassis made
in 2008. That's about as late as you can get, I
believe the last Marquee 9500s left the factory in
2012. These all came from a flight simulator
installation on small screens, so all CRTs have
hexagonal shaped wear, and HD10L lenses, that are
only good up to a 72" wide screen. Still, if you
have a 9500 and want to upgrade to the latest 9500
Ultra chassis that’s well under 10 years old, here's
a great way to do so. I've tested al of the chassis,
and they work flawlessly. Convergence is solid as a
rock on each set. The cases are a bit marked. I will
ship without tubes and lenses to save on shipping if
you want. $800 each. With brand new red and green
and a used blue (near mint shape) and GT17 lenses:
$1800 each.

(Qty: 3)
Vidikron Vision One: These are the 9500
Ultras with that fancy fibreglass case on them. All
three are indeed Ultra sets (many were sold with the
non Ultra chassis). I have one each in black, white
and that shiny gloss metallic blue, the only case
I've seen in that colour. All either have new or near
new tubes with no wear. $1500 each.

(Qty: Many)
Barco 909:
I have several Barco 909 projectors in stock that I
am about to go through and retube with new and good
used tubes. I will announce those in the next
mailout, sometime in January, but pricing on those
will also be less than ever before.

I am blowing out all of my NEC PG tubes since I
no longer support these sets. I have 2-3 sets of
mint/near mint and I think even a couple of new
tubes in stock for the PG and the PG+ (these will
not fit the PG Xtra or XG sets). Yours for the
paltry price of a donation of your choice via
Paypal, and cover shipping.

I have a great selection of good used CRT tubes
for almost all projectors out there. I have nothing
in the way of mint 8 or 9" green tubes, as I am
putting those into sets that I sell, but if you'd
like some good used condition tubes, just email me
with what you're looking for.

Lastly, some of you may not know that I also do
vintage audio repairs, and have developed a bit of a
reputation locally for working on reel to reel tape
machines. So much so, in fact, that a friend of mine
that owns
Innovative Audio has sold me his entire
inventory of low end and midrange decks. I currently
have over 50 reel to reel decks, ranging from Sony
and Akai to Teac and Sansui, along with a bunch of
parts as well. If you have a box full of tapes
somewhere, but your reel to reel has bitten the
dust, email me for what I have in stock, or check
out what's for sale on eBay under
my
eBay summary. I try and list 2-3
decks a week, and have had great success selling
them. Analog audio is making a huge comeback with
vinyl, and cassette tape and reel to reel is also
gaining in popularity for that warm analog sound.

Also, if you have an old reel to reel gathering
dust, let me know, as I do buy them, and as with
projectors, have been known to travel great
distances to pick them up.

I am tentatively planning a road trip at the end
of January 2015 from Vancouver to Albuquerque and
back. Nothing has been firmed up yet, but it's
looking to occur sometime around the last week of
January, and will be back in Vancouver by the end of
the first week of February. I may travel down to Los
Angeles, or may drive directly to New Mexico, all
depending on weather conditions.

Designed specifically for use with Colour Management System (CMS) software
such as ChromaPure
(which can control the box remotely as part of auto-calibraton), the AVLab TPG is
powered by USB and uses the USB interface to automatically control the video
calibration workflow. It is the ultimate tool for AV professionals in the field
to deliver lab-quality functionality to on-site display setup and calibration.

It offers a similar suite of test patterns as the DVDO Duo with a few differences.
First, and most importantly, it outputs true 4K. It will even output 4K at 60 Hz
using YCbCr 4:2:0. This makes the TPG the most affordable 4K video test pattern
generator on the market by far.

The TPG is incredibly compact. It easily fits in your hand, which
makes it ideal for portable applications. Furthermore, it can draw its power
entirely from a connection to the PC via USB, so the user doesn't have to worry
about connecting it a separate power source.

It also comes with a remote control for standalone use, and is fully
supported by ChromaPure (as of version 2.5.1). Every serious calibrator, video
tester or engineer, or enthusiast with a 4K display should have one of these as
part of their toolkit.

Doctor HDMI helps resolve most HDMI video
issues caused by faulty EDID handshakes or other
incompatibility issues. It's used to keep a source
device "always on" by tricking / feeding back to it
the same, stable EDID signal. Particularly useful
when using HDMI splitters and HDMI distribution
systems.

Are you experiencing video loss / video return
delays when a TV displays is turned on/off, or when
an AV receiver or matrix switcher's inputs/outputs
are changed? Doctor HDMI is the answer!

Doctor HDMI can also boost HDMI signal integrity
allowing longer HDMI cable runs. It can also be used
to limit the source output resolution.

Doctor HDMI solves these and other problems by acting as an EDID manager
and HDMI/DVI-D emulator/repeater that comes with
pre-defined presets, user programmable banks, EDID
sniffing and more.

"As a EDID emulator the Dr HDMI worked
flawlessly with my gaming PC. My main desktop PC has
its video output split between a monitor and a AV
receiver and TV setup. Of course, this resulted in
the EDID being incorrectly detected and the PC
refusing to output surround sound to the receiver.
Using Dr HDMI, it was trivial to capture the EDID
from the AV receiver, then by connecting Dr HDMI to
the PC, the PC was convinced it was permanently
connected to the surround sound system and selecting
7.1 surround sound was no longer a problem." -
videogameperfection.com

The new
Radiance 2020 is now available for order at a
special CurtPalme.com discounted price.
GO »

Feature wise, the
Radiance 2020 is an upgraded version of
the Radiance Mini: It includes twice as many
HDMI inputs (4) and outputs (2), an expanded CMS
(729 point instead of 125) for more
accurate auto-calibration using
software such as ChromaPure, and
Darbee DVP™ image
enhancement technology which allows you to
adjust the amount of enhancement individually per
input (similar to all other adjustments). All other
video features match the current 21xx series.

The
Radiance 2020 has more memory and processing
power as compared to the Radiance Mini, so we can
expect that the performance and functionality will
be increased over time as Lumagen has often done in
the past with other models.

At 11" wide, 5" deep, and 1.7" high, it is larger
than the Mini but smaller than the 21xx series.

A new practical guide to home theater
sound isolation, written for the everyday home theater
enthusiast.

Sound isolation is about keeping house and home
theater sounds completely separated.

Stop turning up the volume because you can hear
the furnace, dishwasher, or footsteps above, and
stop worrying about waking the kids with your latest
explosion ridden blockbuster! Proper sound isolation
solves all of these issues.

Now available at a special CurtPalme.com
discounted price. Buy direct from our ChromaPure
partner at prices lower than buying off their own
website! Same product, same support, just more money
in your pocket at the end of the day.
ORDER NOW
»

There are two colour analyzers that professionals and dedicated enthusiasts
generally seek: A reference spectroradiometer for the last word in colorimetric
accuracy and a professional quality colorimeter.

Unfortunately, such devices are not cheap. The Photo Research and Minolta
reference spectros start at about $15,000 USD and go up to near $30,000 USD. The Klein
K-10a, previously the only professional quality colorimeter on the market,
retails at $7,000 USD.

Now there is a new entry to the professional colorimeter market, the CR-100
from a new company called Colorimetry
Research Inc. It is an incredibly fast reading colorimeter, reading more than twice
as fast as the popular Display 3.

In our testing of the CR-100 we have found that it performs at least as well,
and with respect at least to repeatability even better, than the Klein
instrument. It does this at a significantly lower price point of $4995 USD.

The CR-100 is accurate enough to be used as a standalone colour analyzer for
professional applications. For the most demanding applications it can be
profiled against a true reference spectroradiometer (such as the JETI 1211).
Either way, its speed, low-light sensitivity, and repeatability are world-class.

The CR-100 is the most affordable professional colorimeter available. Just
mount either on a tripod, facing towards the source, connect to ChromaPure
Professional, and then use as you would any other colour analyzer.

The BARCO-FULLHD replaces the (somewhat useless)
secondary RGB port 3 card in your projector. The
mounting bracket on the existing port 3 card is
removed by the user and installed on the
BARCO-FULLHD.

A port 3 dongle (included) is then plugged into
your Barco's external port 3 socket. The dongle
includes an IR receiver to allow for IR remote
control of the BARCO-FULLHD functions. A 3D sync
port is also available for connecting 3D emitters.

The BARCO-FULLHD offers advanced features such as
100% HDMI 1.4 compliant inputs, Deep
Colour support, 14bit D/A converters, a
maximum resolution of 1920x1200@75Hz (beyond 1080p
FULLHD), a fast 1GHz output buffer, and
high quality op-amps and capacitors on the output stage for the
best image quality possible. Testers with extremely
modified / high end Barco 909 projectors
are reporting that this is the best HDMI solution
they've come across.